


Surviving the Inevitable Zombie Apocalypse

by mysteriouslife



Category: The Big Bang Theory (TV), Walking Dead, Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crossover, Deaf Character, Deaf Glenn, Doctor!Daryl, F/M, Gen, Glenn is Sheldon's ex-roommate, M/M, Survival Training, What Daryl did before the Apocalypse, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-10
Updated: 2014-05-03
Packaged: 2018-01-15 06:22:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1294705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysteriouslife/pseuds/mysteriouslife
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ever wonder how Glenn picked up on his survival skills? </p><p>Let's just say anybody who signs the Roommate Agreement has agreed to obtain a "SIZA" certificate.</p><p>---------------------</p><p>Basically, a story in which Glenn was Sheldon's roommate about a year before shit hit the fan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Glenn really needs a roommate

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, everybody! This idea has been nagging at me for awhile. First, I finally watched The Walking Dead. Amazing. Really. I just love the whole thing. I was scouring through wikis afterwards though (not quite willing to let go), and I noticed that the same guy who plays Glenn in The Walking Dead also played a small part in the Big Bang Theory as Sheldon's ex-roommate.
> 
> Mind. Blown. Really.
> 
> Why has nobody else jumped on this already? 
> 
> This is the first part. Enjoy.

What had he been thinking?

"Sign here. Initial there. Write a couple short responses here before signing..."

Yes, he was desperate to find a place within a mile radius of the pizza parlor that had hired him, and yes, he had a very limited budget.

"Okay, now onto page 26. I'd like you to write a short essay about why you'd make a decent roommate. I'll give you 15 minutes. If you finish before the time allotted is up, then you can flip ahead to the next page where you can fill out an application for what times you'd like to be registered for the bathroom schedule."

Bathroom schedule? Really? Glenn raised an eyebrow skeptically before just shaking his head and bending down to write a few sentences on the essay. For goodness sake, he was just looking for a short stay while he figured out how to pay for college. Was all this really necessary? Surely, he hadn't sunk so low that he needed to jump through hoops for this guy. 

Once Glenn wrote about 2 paragraphs (because surely that had to count as having made some sort of effort), he switched to the next page since he still had about 7 minutes left.

Oh, man. No. He wasn't that desperate! Really. Maybe he should reconsider that small room that had been offered two streets away. Except... well, that room had really been smaller than a supply closet in his opinion. He needed more room than that. He could do this. Really. He had already devoted the last two hours of his life to filling out these applications. He was going to get through this, damnit. He was.

"Okay, time's up! I see you've already jotted down a few notes for the bathroom schedule. I shall review that later tonight, and I will let you know whether the application is accepted or denied."

He would just use the restroom at that gas station the next street over if he really had to. He needed a place. His parents weren't talking to him anymore. They had already staunchly told him that no gay Asian was a son of theirs. He had already been cut off from any possible inheritances. He was lucky he had managed to grab a box of his things and a backpack and his trusty hat. He was going to have to make do. Right now: that meant getting a room cheap enough to pay for with the small budget he'd get from working at the pizza parlor. Later, he'll start saving up. He'll get to college one day. Maybe not right away, but he would get there. He just had to keep his head held up, and he had to stay strong. 

He also had to give in to every ridiculous request made by this Dr. Sheldon Cooper since so far he had the only viable living arrangement he could afford. He's surely dealt with worse.

Okay, that's a blatant lie. Only ten minutes into the interview he had realized just out of his depth he was. Dr. Cooper had bombarded him with personal questions about his life, hygiene, and work placement. Then, he had watched Sheldon run the calculations of how much he made before deciding it was doable enough. Glenn had felt relieved for all of maybe ten seconds that he had been offered the place before Sheldon had pulled out the huge book that was The Roommate Agreement. 

Glenn had gulped and seriously considered bolting before realizing this was his best offer and the chance of another similar one coming along were none. He had then taken a deep breath and steeled himself as he tried to listen closely as Sheldon started reading page one. 

Finally, after 6 extensive hours with a short 15 minute break at the 3 hour mark, Glenn was being handed a key after he handed Sheldon his first deposit. He was also told he could move in on Monday. Glenn smiled. He could crash at his friends' place another weekend. His friend would just be relieved to hear he had finally found a place. 

Right as Glenn was about to get up and go, because clearly Sheldon wasn't the type to just chit-chat idly, Sheldon nonchalantly added one more condition, "Oh, also, if you wish to remain past the one month mark, you'll need to present me with a SIZA certificate. Make sure you take the full official course offered. Print out the results, so I can be sure you've learned everything you could from the course."

Glenn paused. "What? SIZA?"

What the hell was SIZA? Oh, please, let this be doable, Glenn begged silently in his head. He needed at least a few months stay -- if not a year -- before he'd have enough to pay for a semester of college. 

"Oh, surely you've heard of it? SIZA. Surviving the Inevitable Zombie Apocalypse. Why, I would have thought any sensible person would have gotten certified as soon as the program was made available. Make sure you take the in-person portion too. Don't opt out. That's where you'll learn the real necessary skills the course can offer to teach you. It takes about 3 weeks of training, so I'd sign up for one right away if I were you."

Glenn was confused. Inevitable zombie apocalypse? Did people really believe that? He decided to voice his doubts out loud. 

"Is that really necessary?"

"Why, of course!" Sheldon exclaimed. "I need to be certain that you won't be a hindrance to me if the zombie apocalypse ever does occur. Also, I'll be building you a pack of items that will be necessary. I need to be sure you'll know what to do with the items I include. Besides, you'll thank me later."

Glenn sincerely doubted that. He already had a couple full shifts planned. He wasn't sure he had the time to take a course -- let alone one as useless as surviving a zombie apocalypse that would probably just never happen. He looked down at the key in his hand. He sighed. He needed this. He really did. 

"Right. Okay. I'll do that." Here's hoping he could actually afford it. 

"I'm not sure if I'll be able to afford it though."

Sheldon looked at him considering. "Well, I suppose you shouldn't have to since this isn't your idea. I'll pay for the course then, but you better pass it the first time around. I'll only pay for it once after all."

Glenn nodded gratefully. "Okay, then, I'll manage. I can get the certificate. Thanks, Dr. Cooper."

"Sure. See you Monday, Mr. Rhee."

Glenn nodded again before he turned around swiftly and headed for the door. 

Hey, who knows. Maybe he'll be able to use the training for when he came across any trouble at his job. It didn't happen often, but he was a pizza delivery boy. He should be better equipped to defend himself. He'll find a way to make this course somehow useful.

I mean, it's not like there'll ever be a zombie apocalypse, but the training would surely come in handy someday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment! And thanks for reading. Let me know where you'll like this to go. I'm always glad to bounce around ideas.
> 
> Also, to everybody else who's been lovely enough to follow my other story (An Intro to Stiles' Family), I will be updating that soon. Please be patient. It's not abandoned! I love that story too much to leave it where it is.


	2. First Day Musings and Meet the Instructor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's still Glenn's POV. That's probably going to be the case for awhile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I couldn't resist writing a little more. I've also decided this story will feature Deaf!Glenn.

Glenn stumbled through the trees as he tried to adjust his hat to fit him more snugly. He never took it off if he could avoid it. He especially didn't want to lose it now in the middle of the first exercise.

Glenn had been deaf since his freshman year of high school. His parents had sent him on a trip to visit his grandfather in some remote part of Georgia. He still regretted that he hadn't just said no. Lord knows, he hadn't ever really liked his grandfather. He had always been so strict, and he never seemed to much care for Glenn. His grandfather appreciated Glenn's cousins infinitely more, but his grandfather was always a stubborn man. He stuck to traditions, and tradition dictated that he fly his grandson in once a year. 

Glenn knew that Pops invited his cousins several times a year. He only ever got a courtesy ticket once a year. He always tried to wiggle out of it, but his parents would frown at him disapprovingly if he ever tried to avoid going. In the end, Glenn always accepted the ticket, boarded a plane, and helped his Pops around his house for a week before they exchanged brief goodbyes. It was all very mechanical. Glenn figured it could be worse.

The summer before his freshman year, however, the plane he had boarded to Georgia went down with 'mechanical issues.' He's never been able to quite work out the details. He just remembers a few shouts and a terrible swooping in his stomach as the plane practically nosedived. He remembers he was sitting next to an engine. He remember a part of the plane near him -- perhaps two aisles forward -- getting ripped away. He remembers a lot of whistling and a huge boom from the engine that just ranged and ranged through his ears until it all just faded away until a very distant muffled buzz. Amazingly enough, he survived. 

His parents and Pops sued the airline on his behalf. The airline settled outside of court with his parents -- something that still stings since it meant his parents got a huge check to their own names. Money that should rightfully be his -- since it was him who had taken the blow, him who had received the irreversible damage -- never reached him. He should have received a portion of whatever was left of that money, but once he told his parents that he might be a little into guys, his parents had only squawked in horror as they recoiled. He didn't see a dime of that money again. Really, the only thing he got out of that is the hearing aids his parents had purchased for him with that money. He had his first pair for about 6 years before his parents decided to buy him some new ones. Fortunately, for Glenn, those had been purchased about a month before he had been kicked out. Also, fortunate for Glenn, he had managed to keep them as he fled the house.

When his parents had disowned him, Glenn had also packed a box of belongings and a backpack of clothes. He had grabbed several of his caps and a couple boxes of the hearing aid dehumidifer he had and made sure to stuff it all into his backpack. He had made his way over to a friend's house -- a friend he knew from high school -- and sat down in the guest room for awhile. Eventually, Glenn had pulled out his phone and saw the numerous messages that had filtered in since the moment he had left his parents' house. 

Glenn had a big family. He may have been an only child, but his parents each had numerous siblings. All of them had something to say about his sexuality. A good portion of them had accused him of bringing shame to the family. A few had even issued death threats. That right there finally made Glenn's throat close up as he struggled to breathe. He wasn't sure what to do. 

He didn't know who to turn to. The friend he was staying with only let him in out of pity. They really weren't that close. He was going to have to find a place of his own very soon -- and away from here. Far enough away that he won't run into any of his family. 

Glenn had closed his eyes tight that night as he curled around a pillow and tried to calm his breathing. A few choked gasps still escaped him.

Glenn didn't know why, but he wrote his address down every time he moved and sent it on a postcard to his grandfather. He moved around quite a bit between friends for a month before he finally found a place with Sheldon. 

His grandfather hadn't sent any messages to Glenn during that time. There was no response. Glenn was wary of getting his hopes up. If anybody was going to be stubborn about family being family no matter how little you like them, it was going to be his Pops. 

He had been overwhelmingly grateful when he had received a simple envelope in the mail two weeks before he had moved in with Sheldon. Glenn was not ashamed to admit that his eyes may have teared up a little even as his stomach clenched in anxiety.

Glenn had packed a small bag and had paid a little extra to carry on his box of belongings onto the plane. He only expected to be gone a week, but he just didn't feel comfortable leaving any of it in any of his friends' trust for longer than a day. 

Glenn had initially been unsure about his reception, but Pops surprised when he simply nodded and curtly said "Hello, Glenn" like he did every time he exited a plane. He had then turned around heading for his truck, expecting Glenn to follow. 

He did of course. And despite the fact that the week was done almost just as mechanically as previous years, it was still one of the best weeks of his life because Pops was family and this was all so achingly familiar. 

Glenn decided as he boarded the plane to go back home that he perhaps did like his Pops, and maybe, his Pops liked him more than he let on if he was willing to still take him in for a week despite any criticism he may receive from the rest of the family. Of course, he was tough, strict Pops. He could handle himself, and he could most certainly handle the family. 

He pretty much set Glenn's world from horribly spinning around to tentatively anchored down. He helped Glenn get his focus back. He also gave Glenn the name of the pizza parlor he was now working at. Apparently, he had pulled a few strings and the owner was an old army buddy who would be more than fine with giving Glenn a job as long as he worked for it. He also paid for a flight from Georgia to Pasadena, California. Glenn was just grateful that it was far from the rest of the family.

Glenn did work for it, and Pops still insisted on sending him a ticket every six months after that. Apparently, even his Pops noticed how much he needed the connection between them if he was willing to pay for an extra ticket each year. Glenn would just never be able to put into words just how grateful he was for that. 

"What's the hold up?! You chink have no sense of direction, eh?"

Glenn breathed out in annoyance. This asshole was more racist than he cared to tolerate. Just keep your eyes on the prize, he started to chant to himself. Room and utilities for longer than a month if I get certified. It's going to be fine. He's going to make it through -- despite every jeer and mocking curl of lips thrown his ways.

Merle, one of the instructors, was the most pigheaded person Glenn had ever had the displeasure of meeting -- outside of his family, of course.

"Hussle, hussle! We don't have all day ladies! Let's get this exercise over with already! I don't get paid nearly enough for this shit."

Really, Glenn had no idea how he was going to survive the next three weeks under the tutelage of this jackass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Merle. I hope none of you were too disappointed that I haven't mentioned Daryl yet. He's still awhile off, but have no fear! He's definitely a favorite character of mine, and I won't be able to resist him for too long. He's already fighting his way into the story.


	3. Daryl before the apocalypse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What Daryl did before the world went to shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this story -- Well, the whole idea is exciting to me. And even though, I know my other story is receiving a lot more attention, I really wanted to update this one first. 
> 
> The thing is though... I just couldn't get the right inspiration for continuing. And then it hit me. And oh my gosh, Daryl has pretty much demanded to have his own chapter and be written in now. I'm not going to lie to you -- I didn't even try to resist. Here it goes.

Beep. Beep. Beep. BEEP!

Daryl groaned into his pillow as he reached over to slap the damn alarm off.

He sighed as he struggled out of the sheets. Normally, waking up at dawn comes naturally to him. He's always seemed to have an internal clock. He usually tends to wake up just in time for the sunrise -- something Merle endlessly hazed him about. 

'Oh, was Darlina up early enough to see the pretty colors of the sun today?"

However, Daryl had just gotten off a 30 hour shift, and he had practically collapsed into his pillow after he set an alarm to wake him up after a few hours. He had a patient to check on in half an hour. He only managed to catch a few hours of sleep after that emergency surgery he got pulled into yesterday -- today -- sometime earlier, okay?

He yawned into his hands before he finally got up to stretch. He walked over to the installed bar by the top of his bedroom door, intent on doing a few pull-ups to wake him up more. He wished he had more time for a workout this morning, to really wake him up, but he did have to be at the hospital in 27 minutes now. He could only spare a few minutes here.

Thirteen minutes later, Daryl walked out of his small bathroom after he had freshened up. He grabbed an apple from the counter to eat on the way. He also made sure to grab his keys, wallet, ID, and the pile of paperwork he had been reviewing a couple days ago. He'd need to file it away later. 

As Daryl walked the short distance to the hospital, he nodded to a few people he passed on his way. Familiar faces, even if he had never really interacted with them outside of this weird daily ritual he had going. It always amused him to see people's reactions to such a greeting from him. 

He imagined what he must look like to those passerbys as he spotted the hospital in the distance. He was wearing jeans and a plaid shirt that had definitely seen better days. He glanced down and noticed a little bit of blood towards the bottom. Damn it. He hadn't really been paying attention to his appearance this morning. He must look like a serial murderer striding away from his kill to everybody else. It probably didn't occur to anybody that this shirt had been with his since his intern years, so of course, it has gotten messy along the way.

Yes, Daryl could probably afford to invest in a few new shirts already, but he was still paying off his medical school. Plus, he could barely find the time in his week between hunting and playing doctor to be bothered to go to the nearest Walmart. 

His phone ranged right when he was within distance of the door. 

Daryl glanced down and noticed two things. One, it was his brother calling. Two, there were still 6 minutes left before he needed to be in that room with his patient discussing surgery.

He quickly backed away from the doors that had automatically opened for him at his approach. He walked towards a corner as he opened his phone and greeted Merle with a gruff, "Hello?"

"Darlina! I didn't wake you up, did I? Of course not. You like to wake up to watch your -- Hey! Watch your step! Left foot first! Left foot! Just climb up that rope already! It's not rocket science! Staring at it won't make it go any faster! Hustle, ladies! Let's get this over with already and move on to the good stuff already!"

Daryl sighed in impatience as he pulled the phone away from his ear to check the time again. Five minutes. He needed to get a new watch already. His last one had been destroyed by a bunch of questionable fluids last week. He hadn't even attempted to savage it. 

"Sorry, bro. Newbies. A bunch of babies, the lot of them!" His brother boomed in his ear.

"What's up, Merle? Why are you calling? Do you need money again?"

"Money? Why, I'm hurt, little brother!" He could practically see Merle's smirk. Daryl twisted his face in aggravation as he waited for his brother to get to the point already then. He glanced at the time again. Still five minutes. Eurgh.

"How's construction going? Building something new today? Or still at your last job?" Daryl grimaced as he again cursed himself for not just telling his brother his profession already. He should've confessed years ago, but he just didn't care to hear his brother's mocking laugh if he knew where he worked today. For goodness sake, they were hunters. They were meant to kill. That's how they had been raised by their father. That was in their blood, and it was how the world worked for them. 

"It's going fine," Daryl responded shortly. The thing about lying was that you shouldn't make the lie too intricate lest you be called out on it later down the road. "What are you calling for, Merle? You haven't called me in a couple months. Last time, it was a drunk-dial. What do you want?" Four minutes.

"Still hunting, I'm sure. Maybe you can come up and do a demonstration with me for this pack. They could use all the help they can get. Hey! Watch your step, chinaman! You're going to hurt yourself! I swear, Daryl, they're going to all get themselves killed if the apocalypse were to start tomorrow."

Daryl frowned as he quickly replied, "No, I'm busy. I need this gig to work out. Can't skip town right now. This one's going to be a good payday."

This conversation needed to end already. Two minutes. Daryl glanced nervously towards the door as he started to think of a quick end to this unexpected phone call.

"I've got to go! That guy is going to split his hand open if he doesn't stop twirling that knife around. I'll call you later through, little brother. We need to catch up. It's been awhile."

The phone went dead before Daryl could come up with another excuse for why meeting up wasn't in the cards anytime soon. 

He quickly tucked his phone away and jogged through the doors and towards his locker. He pulled out a fresh shirt from inside to look a little less scary to his patients. Then he tugged on the standard white doctor coat and stuffed the files he had brought back from home into the locker. He pulled out a pen to stuff in his pocket along with a stethoscope. 

He slammed his locker shut and hurried towards the nurse's station. 

"Hey, Merissa, do you have the files I need for Mr. Langer?"

"Here. Hurry. The wife just dropped by a few minutes ago asking about you. I told her you would be there soon."

Daryl nodded his thanks and gave a brief smile before he hurried up the stairs towards the next floor up. He ran along the corridor and pushed open Room 246.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Doctor!Daryl. Because why not? 
> 
> This was just a short intro to the Daryl I'm writing. A little bit of a filler I know, but it's been so long. I just had to update this already. Let me know what you think. Comment! Any requests? Suggestions? Criticism?
> 
> Also, lots of thank yous to the following community on Fanfiction for adding me: "Waiting to be completed."


End file.
